Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has initiated an inquiry following the circulation of images depicting a 42-year-old tribal man allegedly subjected to flogging by the Latehar district police for purportedly assisting Maoists in the forest area. The matter was brought to attention by the rights organization Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), which reported that the victim, Anil Singh, identified as a farmer, was purportedly picked up during the night of February 23-24 by the Garu police in Latehar district and subjected to severe beatings.
Anil Singh, speaking to reporters, stated, “We were sleeping at home when the Garu police station in-charge knocked on the door and asked me to accompany him to the police station. I had two guests at my home, and they were also asked to come. The police alleged that we had gone to drop off Maoists, and then they started beating me to an extent that I went unconscious.”
In response to the incident, Chief Minister Hemant Soren, in a Hindi tweet, directed the Jharkhand Police to promptly address the matter, take strict action against the perpetrators, and provide information.
The rights body called for the immediate filing of an FIR against the station in-charge and demanded compensation for the victim. The JJM highlighted that Anil and other villagers were apprehended at midnight and accused of aiding Maoists. Anil and another individual were reportedly subjected to severe beatings until Anil lost consciousness. The JJM noted a prior incident in which an innocent Adivasi named Bramhadev Singh from the same block was killed by security forces during a Naxal search operation a few months earlier.
Last year, a 24-year-old man from a tribal community was killed in Piri village under Garu block in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on June 12. The police described it as a “crossfire” incident, but villagers later filed a complaint alleging unilateral firing by the police.
